Medical needles are widely used in the course of patient care and treatment, particularly with respect to the delivery of selected medications to a patient. In one common form, hollow hypodermic needles are employed for transcutaneous delivery of a selected medication from a syringe or the like. In another common form, insertion needles are employed for transcutaneous placement of a soft and relatively flexible tubular cannula, followed by insertion needle removal and subsequent infusion of medical fluid to the patient through the cannula. More recently, insertion needles have also been used for transcutaneously placing other medical devices such as a subcutaneous sensor for monitoring specified patient parameters, such as blood glucose level.
In certain medical treatment regimens, it may be necessary or desirable for the patient to transcutaneously place the medical needle. For example, diabetic patients frequently self-administer insulin injections or periodically place a subcutaneous insertion with a cannula for subsequent programmable delivery of insulin by means of a medication infusion pump of the general type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,903. Such subcutaneous insertion sets are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,755,173; 5,176,662; and 5,257,980 which are incorporated by reference herein. Diabetic patients may also use a subcutaneous insertion set to periodically place a transcutaneous glucose sensor wherein such sensor insertion sets are disclosed, for example, In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,390,671; 5,568,806; 5,586,553, which are also incorporated by reference herein.
Some patients are reluctant or hesitant to pierce their own skin with a medical needle, and thus encounter difficulties in correct needle placement for proper administration of the medication. Such difficulties can be attributable to insufficient manual dexterity or skill to achieve proper needle placement or, alternately to, anxiety associated with anticipated discomfort as the needle pierces the skin. This problem can be especially significant with medications delivered via a subcutaneous flexible insertion set, since incorrect placement can cause kinking of the cannula and resultant obstruction of medication flow to the patient. Cannula kinking can be due to insertion set placement at an incorrect angle relative to the patient's skin, and/or needle placement with an incorrect force and speed of insertion.
The present invention relates to an automatic injector, particularly for use with a subcutaneous insertion set, for quickly and easily placing an insertion needle through the skin of a patient at the correct insertion angle, and with a speed and force of insertion which minimizes patient discomfort.